Google Earth Pro is now FREE!

That's right, it's no longer $399 a year! The benefit is that you get higher resolution satellite images combined with interactive and geographic data. Google just made its service for free but you still have to register to get the registration key. The registration is buggy but I got a tip from Facebook that if you go back on the webpage and keep resubmitting the registration information then eventually it will go through. After about 6 tries I got through.

https://www.google.com/work/mapsearth/products/earthpro.html?utm_campaign=freemium&utm_medium=et&utm_source=earth-en-home

I saw this today and signed up. Got in first try. They must have fixed the bugs. Thanks for posting this!

Its saying I dont have some sort of registration key? what does that mean adn how do I get one?

Never Mind I got it!

I don't care what I try to do, I can download it but when I try to run it to install it, I get 'unknown installer error' and it ends. Any hints, clues or work-arounds?

Deb Rebel wrote:I don't care what I try to do, I can download it but when I try to run it to install it, I get 'unknown installer error' and it ends. Any hints, clues or work-arounds?

Well my first thought is "did you check to see that your machine met all the criteria to load it"?
My second thought was - "there's probably a lot of people downloading - try a different time".
Third thought - try this link?

http://google-latlong.blogspot.com/2015/01/google-earth-pro-is-now-free.html

Jennifer, I get the download but it won't execute. That's the issue. I tried it from different ways, I tried to save it then run it, I tried to run it straight from the site, nothing. It gives me a little box with that bit immediately and the box closes and that's it. And yes my system and OS is more than adequate for installing and running it.

If I had to guess (and that's all I can do), I'd say the version on the mirrored site you're trying to download from is corrupt somehow. Hence the alternative link. Total guessing on my part. You must be extremely frustrated! Is there a FAQ page or help line number?

I tried the link you gave too, and same thing, 'Unknown Installer Error' and it disappears. I am hunting now for some sort of support. So that makes four different places I've tried to download and execute it from.

Does anyone know of a good tutorial on how to use Google Earth Pro for permaculture stuff?

It looks like Google has decided to post the registration key on the download page. At the time of this posting, it is GEPFREE.

I had google earth installed, I removed it. Tried again to install Pro. Unknown Installer Error and it died. I had something called Revo uninstaller and had it try to install the program. Unknown Installer Error and it died. My antivirus is letting it in, so that's not blocking it. I am digging everywhere and all they say is go download it, install it, then proceed to install your key. Is ANYONE ELSE having issues with it? I have tried downloading it from four different places now and same issues. I've run as administrator, approved the software changes. Unknown Installer Error!

(edit) My apologies to all Permies and wannabe Permies out there.

You must download this with Google Chrome then it will work. Else you will beat a head against wall. It zipped through happily with Chrome. I now must go rip Chrome out and reconfigure my system, but. that is what the nasty little bit was that was messing this up.

Deb Rebel wrote:You must download this with Google Chrome then it will work. Else you will beat a head against wall. It zipped through happily with Chrome. I now must go rip Chrome out and reconfigure my system, but. that is what the nasty little bit was that was messing this up.

Thanks for filling us in.

Amedean Messan wrote:That's right, it's no longer $399 a year! The benefit is that you get higher resolution satellite images combined with interactive and geographic data. Google just made its service for free but you still have to register to get the registration key. The registration is buggy but I got a tip from Facebook that if you go back on the webpage and keep resubmitting the registration information then eventually it will go through. After about 6 tries I got through.

https://www.google.com/work/mapsearth/products/earthpro.html?utm_campaign=freemium&utm_medium=et&utm_source=earth-en-home

Well, it would be great if the Pro version had higher resolution satellite images, but unfortunately this is not the case. Higher resolution applies only to printing satellite images.

So this appears to be a permanent change, not just a temporary promotion?

I had no problem downloading and installing- but I used a google search for "Google Earth Pro", I think I arrived at the download page through an Engadget link.

I haven't dug in to it too deeply, so I dont really see a lot of differences yet. One big feature that will be extremely helpful for permies looking for land is that GEPro has a PARCEL LAYER. Aka "cadastral map", this allows you to identify any given parcel of real estate, and find out basic details such as parcel area, age and info on structures, zoning, valuation, and where the parcel is recorded. This could save a lot of time if you are trying to find your homestead, especially if you're looking in a remote county.

To turn on the parcel map, go to the Layers area, and under the Primary Database, click "Earth Pro", then "US Parcel Data" See the image below:

I was able to use the link below, downloaded the file and get the key in email without issues. Just adding my experiences.

http://google-latlong.blogspot.com/2015/01/google-earth-pro-is-now-free.html

Aaron Althouse wrote:I was able to use the link below, downloaded the file and get the key in email without issues. Just adding my experiences.

http://google-latlong.blogspot.com/2015/01/google-earth-pro-is-now-free.html

Thanks, appreciate it!

Has anyone figured out how to get topo maps on GEPro?

btw, thanks for posting the link to GE Pro!

Way to go USGS http://www.earthpoint.us/TopoMap.aspx

Ok, I'm not lazy just have a slow arse Internet connection...a few questions:
Have Google Earth from last year downloaded. Do I need to re-download for the Pro edition?

Have a complicated property where I'm planning from a permaculture perspective. It's relatively flat then gradually slopes down some 30 feet. Wanting to view my property from different angles (directions, wind, sun) from the ground level with an overlay of elevation changes showing where ridges and dips are so I know where I want to put in berms, swales, etc. for future plant projects.
This is the closest example I could find online, except I would want an overlay of the elevation changes over the image -
http://www.innovativegis.com/basis/BeyondMappingSeries/BeyondMapping_IV/Topic3/BM_IV_T3_files/image022.png
Assume the best way to do this would be a combo of Google Earth Pro, Sketchup, USGS, and Adobe Illustrator, or are there open source/free combos that do the same thing?

Cal, delete the old version and download the new. IF you have a very slow connection yes it might take a bit. As for how to do that topo in the demo, I have no idea--hopefully someone else knows.

Thanks Deb Reb!
Yes, you could say it is slow. Is supposed to be 4G LTE and the only option here unfortunately other than expensive data cobbled satellite.
Makes me long for dial up, that's how slow it is.

Day job is as a CAD drafter at a civil eng firm. This will help!

B-jump ! Big AL